Deliver a message around the importance of measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission
This subtopic focuses on equipping young health champions with the skills to effectively communicate COVID-19 prevention measures to peers. It covers the rationale for peer-led messaging, detailed preparation, practical delivery, and critical self-review to enhance future impact.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The RSPH Level 2 Award for COVID-19 Young Health Champions is a qualification designed to empower young people (aged 14-24) to become health champions in their communities, focusing specifically on COVID-19 awareness, prevention, and response. This award covers key topics such as the science of viruses, transmission routes, public health measures (e.g., hand hygiene, social distancing, vaccination), and the role of young people in promoting accurate health information. It also explores the wider impact of the pandemic on mental health, education, and social inequality, equipping learners with skills to support peers and challenge misinformation.
This qualification matters because young people play a critical role in shaping community health behaviours, especially during a pandemic. By becoming a Young Health Champion, you learn how to communicate evidence-based public health messages effectively, reduce stigma around COVID-19, and promote protective behaviours among your peers. The award fits into the wider Health & Social Care curriculum by linking to topics like infection control, health promotion, and the social determinants of health. It also develops transferable skills in communication, leadership, and critical thinking, which are valuable for further study or careers in public health, nursing, or youth work.
The course is structured around interactive learning, including case studies, group discussions, and practical activities. You will explore real-world scenarios, such as how to handle vaccine hesitancy or support a friend with long COVID. Assessment is through a portfolio of evidence and a multiple-choice test, so you need to demonstrate both knowledge and application. By the end, you'll be confident to take on the role of a health champion, contributing to your community's resilience against COVID-19 and future health challenges.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Transmission and prevention: Understand how SARS-CoV-2 spreads via respiratory droplets and aerosols, and the effectiveness of measures like mask-wearing, ventilation, hand hygiene, and social distancing.
- →Vaccination and immunity: Know how COVID-19 vaccines work (e.g., mRNA and viral vector), the concept of herd immunity, and the importance of booster doses in protecting vulnerable groups.
- →Public health messaging: Learn to identify and counter misinformation using reliable sources (e.g., NHS, WHO), and how to communicate health advice in a clear, empathetic, and non-judgmental way.
- →Mental health impact: Recognise the psychological effects of the pandemic, including anxiety, isolation, and bereavement, and know how to signpost peers to support services like Mind or Kooth.
- →Health inequalities: Understand how COVID-19 disproportionately affected certain groups (e.g., ethnic minorities, low-income households, key workers) and the role of social determinants in health outcomes.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Understand why peer advice is important for the delivery of messages around COVID-19Carry out preparations for delivering a message around COVID-19Deliver a message around COVID-19Carry out a review of the delivery of the COVID-19 message
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for demonstrating a clear explanation of why peer advice is effective in influencing health behaviours among young people.
- Evidence of thorough preparation must be shown, including audience analysis, selection of credible sources (e.g., NHS, WHO), and a structured message plan.
- During delivery, assessor should look for confident, clear communication, appropriate tone, and accurate presentation of key prevention measures (hand hygiene, mask use, distancing).
- Award credit for a reflective review that identifies strengths, areas for improvement, and specific feedback from the audience.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡When preparing your message, always reference current official COVID-19 guidance to ensure accuracy and boost assessor confidence.
- 💡Practice your delivery multiple times; record yourself to identify nervous habits and refine your tone.
- 💡During the review, use specific examples from your delivery and peer feedback to demonstrate deep reflection—avoid vague statements.
- 💡Remember that the assessor values evidence of understanding peer dynamics; explicitly link your approach to why peers listen to peers.
- 💡Use specific examples from the course materials, such as the 'Hands, Face, Space' campaign or the UK's vaccination rollout, to illustrate your understanding of public health measures. Examiners reward application of knowledge to real-world contexts.
- 💡When discussing health inequalities, always link to social determinants (e.g., housing, occupation, access to healthcare) and mention specific groups affected. This shows deeper analysis beyond surface-level facts.
- 💡For the portfolio, include evidence of your communication skills, such as a poster you created or a reflection on a conversation about vaccine hesitancy. Demonstrate how you adapted your message for different audiences (e.g., younger children, elderly relatives).
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Failing to adapt the message to the specific peer audience, resulting in a generic or overly technical presentation.
- Overlooking the importance of citing official health guidance, which reduces credibility and may spread misinformation.
- Neglecting to plan for interactive elements or questions, leading to poor engagement during delivery.
- Submitting a review that is purely descriptive without critical analysis or concrete action points for improvement.
- Misconception: 'COVID-19 is just like the flu.' Correction: While both are respiratory viruses, COVID-19 is more contagious and has caused higher rates of severe illness, long-term complications (long COVID), and death. It also has a different impact on blood clotting and organ systems.
- Misconception: 'If I've had COVID-19, I don't need the vaccine.' Correction: Natural immunity from infection wanes over time and may not protect against new variants. Vaccination provides stronger, longer-lasting protection and reduces the risk of severe disease and transmission.
- Misconception: 'Masks don't work because I can still breathe.' Correction: Masks, especially well-fitted surgical or FFP2 masks, reduce the number of respiratory droplets released and inhaled. They are effective as part of a layered prevention strategy, not a standalone solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for ROYAL SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH Deliver a message around the importance of measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of health and wellbeing, such as from PSHE or a Level 1 Health & Social Care course.
- •Familiarity with the concept of infection control (e.g., handwashing, germs) from Key Stage 3 science or equivalent.
- •No formal prerequisites, but a willingness to engage with sensitive topics like illness and death is important.
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Understand why peer advice is important for the delivery of messages around COVID-19Carry out preparations for delivering a message around COVID-19Deliver a message around COVID-19Carry out a review of the delivery of the COVID-19 message
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